Killer Prank

A long time ago, when I was active on this blog, I made a post about The Best Thing I've Ever Seen Come Out Of Yankee Stadium. You can watch it here.

Well this guy's buddy had to wait a couple of year, but he got his revenge. BIG TIME:

Watch Prank War 7: The Half Million Dollar Shot and more funny videos on CollegeHumor

Rose Bowl Webcast

Hopefully Gary's technology works (read the post below).
For the pep rally, or on gameday, you can just click on the widget below:

Watch The Rose Bowl Live Here On My Blog!

Check out the email that I just received the other day:

Rose Bowl webstream opportunity
Saturday, December 27, 2008 7:55 AM
From:
This sender is DomainKeys verified
"Reporter Gary"
To:
vcrindc@yahoo.com

-----Inline Attachment Follows-----

Dear Justin,

My name is Gary Baumgarten, and I'm the news and programming director at Paltalk.com.

Paltalk, the largest multimedia interactive program on the Internet with more than 4 million unique users, is going to the Rose Bowl. I'd like to invite you to participate on your site by bringing your readers along too!

We've created the Paltalk Penn State Fan Room on Paltalk. I, along with Paltalk alumn John Metzler and producer Boaz Frankel will be attending and streaming the New Year's Eve pep rally from Beverly Hills High School. Then on New Year's Day we'll be taking our cameras and microphones to the Tournament of Roses Parade and we'll be tailgating outside the Rose Bowl.

Nittany Lions fans can participate right from home in text, on microphone and if they wish on camera.

We're inviting you to carry the events on your site. All you have to do is embed the following code to produce a widget that links to the virtual auditorium on Paltalk:


This is Paltalk's gift to the Penn State community. There is no charge.

You can read more about the event here: http://garybaumgarten.blogspot.com/2008/12/paltalk-ticket-to-rose-bowl.html

Or feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.

Looking forward to a great New Year's Day in Pasadena!

Best,

Gary


--
Gary Baumgarten
Host - News Talk Online
Director of News and Programming Paltalk.com

blog: www.garybaumgarten.com

*****************************************************************

So, I'll be streaming the Rose Bowl on my blog (if Gary's technology works)
ENJOY!

Kevin Newsome Commits To Penn State: Video

Here's a news report on the Kevin Newsome signing. It even includes video of the actual announcement.

The most shocking thing is that he says he's been told he "probably won't redshirt..."

Check it out:

Some Wonderful, Magical Animal

Time To Take Out Nine Years Of Frustration?

Kirk Heirbstreet seems to think so

"...I think that it gets ugly this weekend in Happy Valley..."

Two months without a post is pathetic

Well it's been ages since I've updated, and we're safe and sound in the UK. ALthough the trip, since landing in England has had a TON of debacles to say the least. First my laptop died. No week without a PC SUCKS especially when your plan is to keep up with work online.

So this morning I finally got through a week's worth of emails. But it didn't stop there: our villa had a retaining wall collapse. I won't bore you with the details, but you can get all of them on Dreama's blog if you're so inclined.

As for me, I am enjoying my time in the UK, although I think that I would much prefer it if it were during footie season. Fortunately that starts today (exhibition) but for real next weekend.

We leave for Greece on Friday, but we are headed to Liverpool tomorrow to visit with my 92 year old Grandmother, Alice. We're driving there, but are taking the train (Virgin-Richard Branson owns everything over here) back. I got us a killer deal on first class tickets on the way back, and was hoping that they had internet. I did some searching online, and found this (very cool):

So I got a great deal on a first class train ticket from Liverpool to London on Wednesday, and I'm checking out the amenities in 1st class on Virgin trains (hopefully for internet/wi-fi but no such luck). I scroll down the page, and LO AND BEHOLD:

First Class on a Voyager

First Class customers on Virgin Voyager trains will enjoy the freedom and space to settle back in stress-free comfort and work peacefully, or simply relax. You'll also be offered a range of complimentary goodies to make your journey as comfortable as possible.

Each of our snack boxes have a delicious range of snacks inside, with regular changes to the menu so even the most frequent traveller will be content. A breakfast snack box might contain a white plait roll with bacon (or with cheese and free range eggs for vegetarians), a fruit yoghurt and mixed fresh fruit. At other times of the day you might open it to find a roll filled with brie and grape or chicken and bacon, Penn State sour cream and chive pretzels, Lily O'Brien's Chocolati chocolate and mixed fresh fruit.

On many journeys you'll either be served a snack box at your seat, or you can pick one up from the onboard Shop in coach D.

I can't promise how much blogging I'll be doing, especially now that our Internet situation in Greece could be totally f*cked, but we'll see.

If you really want to keep up with what I'm up to, check me out on twitter. Only me, Dreama, JD and Alison Lukan are really active, but it's pretty much the coolest social networking aspect out there. I use it mostly for work, but often my commentary is non-work related.

If you get used to it, twittering during the PSU games will be very cool (rather than bulk texting each other). Plus there's a trail of messages to see.

More Penn State Kickoff Times & Networks Announced

Lots of TV & kick off time information here for many of Penn State game this season.

Just my luck that all of the late kickoff times will be the fall that I'm in Europe for. As far as an update on that goes, we're leaving July 24th to fly to the ATL for a work conference.

Then it's over the pond to LHR, via Philly, and a dinner date with the Chathy's to meet Addy.

RIP Charlie Jones

Great call:

Kangaroo TV

Sorry for no updates in a while, but I've been very busy with work. Nonetheless, in doing some surfing tonight, check out this GEM that I found:

http://www.kangaroo.tv/

You have a small device and you can watch NFL sunday ticket from the stands while you're at the game. What a perfect way to fiend out.

I can think of a few people who will put this on their XMAS wish list.

A little humour (it's English, give me a break)

I actually found this REALLY funny....

Lots of Primetime Games This Season for Penn State

Three 8pm kickoffs, plus a 4:30pm homecoming game vs. Michigan.

Check it out here:

http://gopsusports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/041608aaa.html

Further Proof That Nonis Deserved To Be Fired

I heard Nonis on the Team 1040 morning show a couple of days after he was fired.
His quote was:

"We weren't going to fill a hole by creating another one"

Davey-boy, sometimes, you need to GIVE SOMETHING UP to get something back in return. That is what a trade is.

See the success of those who made a move:

I'm still getting over the shock of no playoffs

Well round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs is over, and the Canucks aren't in.
Then again, they didn't even start in the playoffs.

It was, however, a small redemption seeing Calgary's hopes squashed last night.

As for the Canucks, they will annnounce a new GM today.
With no GM experience.

Sounds like that's going to work well.

At least Hitler can sum up how I feel:

Do you talk with your mouth full?

Apparently Joe Paterno does.
He did it yesterday at his spring practice press conference.

I saw the footage on sportscenter. If I find it, I'll post the video for you to see with your own eyes.

It was embarrassing.
An 81 year old man, talking to the media, eating food, talking with food in house mouth.
It was just plain old bad manners.

Now some of you are thinking, .
Fair enough, I don't claim to be Mr. Manners.

But if you're at a press conference, representing Penn State, do you really eat during it?
I mean, come on, this is just plain ridiculous.

For more detailed recap, of what was said, (in a rather cavalier attitude, I might add), read the Pittsburgh Post Gazette's recap here.

Tim Curley, what are you doing?

ESPN just reported that Ohio State has signed a home and home with Tennessee.

While Penn State has upcoming OOC games with UVA, Syracuse, and Alabama, check out who Brutus has on the upcoming schedule (in addition to UT):


2008/2009 - USC

2010/2011 - Miami

2012/2013 - Cal'

2014/2015 - VT

2016/2017 - Oklahoma

Tim Curley, what are you doing? Is Andy Geiger (OSU's AD) really that much better than you? Is he really that much better at putting a deal together?

Corky's son goes wild

Patrick Roy's son Jonathan decides that he has to apply the beatdown in a hockey brawl. It's pretty obvious that the other goalie isn't really interested in fighting, so I'm not really sure what Corky Jr. was thinking.

No matter what he was thinking, he really doesn't show any mercy to the guy that he pummels:

Ron Cook hits the nail on the head

Ron Cook wrote an article today that pretty much hits the nail on the head with respect to the Paterno contract situation, and the Terrell Pryor ramifications.

I pretty much agree with the entire article.

Dennis Dodd weighs on the JoePa contract situation

Dennnis Dodd throws out his opinion on the JoePa contract situation. I found this paragraph the most interesting:

What complicates matters is that Paterno, at least publicly, still is sharp. He stunned the recruiting world by basically getting No. 1 prospect Terrelle Pryor to delay his decision past signing day. But Pryor's high school coach Ray Reitz rocked some worlds himself recently when he said if assistant Tom Bradley were the head coach, the player would have signed with Penn State by now.

I have a feeling that this will end in e)

Long time, no Stella update

Just got back from a work trip to LA. It was a seminar conference that Dreama and I wanted to attend, so with "Grangela" living only 6 miles from the seminar location, we thought we would take advantage of the free babysitter.

Things went great the Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Uncle Brandon arrived on Saturday, we had a nice steak dinner, and Stella stayed up late (too late, until about 9:30pm) so Grangela could show her off to some friends.

Lack a sleep made for a grizzly baby, and on Sunday, Stella endured a pretty big meltdown.
Upon return to Vancouver (after receiving some nice abuse from United Airlines for having the audacity of traveling with a baby), Stella seems to be back to her normal self.

I think that she was going through withdrawal from not getting watch any hockey or soccer while in LA. Look at how happy she was today, getting to watch the Champions League game with her Grandad and his Italian friend Alberto, who was choked to see Inter Milan get knocked out.



Four English teams in the final 8 again. Too bad that the National team stinks.

Beano weighs in JoePa

Click here to listen to the latest ESPN podcast featuring Ivan Maisel and Beano Cook.
Beano tells us what he hears is going to happen with JVP's short term situation, based on a conversation with Neil Rudel of the Altoona Mirror.

The Dreama Scenario at PSU

Well, according to our buddies at LaschOut, there was a Bill Cowher sighting in State College this past weekend.

Many have asked me, in the past few years, who would be my #1 choice to take over for JVP. I had always replied "Bill Cowher", and, inevitably, the follow up question would always be "Okay, who REALISTICALLY do you want to be PSU's next head coach", as if landing Bill Cowher was a total longshot.

Well, who really knows why Cowher was in State College this past weekend.
What we do know about Bill Cowher is:

1. He really wants to enjoy his family life and his teenage girls in HS/college
2. He would have all of PA on lockdown, from a recruiting perspective
3. He already has a ton of cash in the bank, so does he really need a huge multi million dollar contract to keep him happy?>
4. If his daughter does attend PSU, as is suggested by some of the comments in the post, then wouldn't being head coach at PSU be a nice way to stay close to the family.
5. Being a college coach is a heck of a lot less stressful than an NFL head coach.

Maybe I'm dreaming, but all of a sudden, the Cowher to PSU fantasy doesn't seem to be as much of a long shot.

Jones weighs in on Paterno's future

Everybody's favorite journalist weighs on the future of Joe Paterno, and how much clout Spanier will have in this decision. I read this as Joe holding the cards as to whether this season, 2008, is a farewell tour, or an ugly deathgrip to hold on. Can't wait to see how this one plays out.

Premiership to play games outside of England?

There's a lot of people quite anti this plan. I could care less really. I'm linking to this article, not because I agree with the writer's veiwpoint, but to share the information about the possible cities.

I am shocked that NYC isn't on the list.

The Super Bowl

Well, I can officially say that the past super bowl (sorry Pats) was without question, the most satisfying super bowl result for me personally ever.

When I woke up on Monday morning, I can honestly say that I have never been happier about the result of a super bowl that seeing the Pats lose.

You see, the Dolphins have never won a super bowl since I've been a fan. (Actually, I was going to write "in my lifetime", but the Dolphins won both of their superbowls in my first 2 years alive on earth.)

So with the Patriots having an opportunity to not only match, but actually exceed the Dolphins perfection, let's just say that I wasn't too happy about it. Oh yeah, and did I mention that the Pats have a "Michigan man" at QB. Enough.

But what a game it was, and what a great ending. The catch by Tyree (my brother reminded me he's a Syracuse alum) the "sluggo" to Plexiglass (Sparty!) and of course, the sack by Jay Alford, a proud moment for Nittany Lions across the country! Actually, the ending, the final second to be exact, further summed up exactly why I loathe the Pats and Belicheat.

What the hell was up with him running across the field with 1 second left. Did he not realize the game wasn't over?

Sorry Bill, but you have to stand on the sideline, let the Giants take possession, and let Eli go to a knee, and THEN you walk across the field and offer your bullshit handshake and smirk.

What a jackass. He showed no class, and no sportsmanship. Hey everyone, Bill Belicheat is bigger than the super bowl itself: he doesn't have to wait until the clock expires- he can just run off the field with 1 second left, and ignore the clock.

But seeing him squirm was great. I actually spoke about this with another friend, Giant's fan Mike Lagg. I asked him where this ranked in terms of all time championships of what his teams (Devils (3), Giants (3), Yankees(4)) had won. I reminded him that he's enjoyed 10 championships since high school, and wondered how this one ranked.

Of course, I also told him that I'm sittin proudly at ZERO:

Canucks
Penn State
Dolphins

Must be nice to have 10 and debate which one is the best.

But hey, that's the point of this blog: sports agony.

At times like this, I am reminded of my favorite German word: schadenfreude
It pretty summed up exactly how I felt on Monday morning.

Finally, here's a Reebok commercial that was to air IF the Pats had won. Thank god this only lives in youtube lore, and not real life:

Joe needs to get out there

Article from the York Daily Record indicating that JoePa isn't doing enough on the recruiting trail.
Sadly, I agree.

Miami 1999

Without question, this is the best PSU road game I've ever attended, and that includes the 1994 season Rose Bowl.

The atmosphere was electric to say the least, and we were escorted from the Miami student section, for "our own safety".

This is great stuff:

Stella Update-Christmas video

I haven't posted in a while, but that's because nothing has really been giving me agony.
Well, except for the Canucks recent mini slump, and the fact that I am so goddamn sick of the Patriots and Brady this and Belicheck that.

But on to something more interesting. I haven't posted any pictures of Stella since WAY back at the beginning of the blog. Some might say "dead beat dad" while others might say "thank god for not inundating me with pictures of your child".

But since it's been a few months, and Stella herself just crossed the 6 month old threshold, I figured I would share a video from Stella's first Christmas (in LA). I'm the camera man, and I'm sure that most of you can figure out who is doing the comedy routine to get Stella laughing.

A deeper shade of soul

Well everyone in the Nittany Nation is excited to see how Michigan does with RR at the helm. I've heard various reports about RR, and the fact that he is a bit of a gungslinger.

Well, a VERY interesting report came out of Morgantown today, that really makes you think.
What happened to these files, and why did they go missing?

It'll be interesting to see if RR can bring back the days of Ed Martin and the Fab 5!

Brutus the speller

Whenever I had attended a PSU-OSU game, I have always come away as VERY impressed with the Buckeye fans' ability to spell. Non stop chanting of O-H-I-O in which hundreds of people can simultaneously spell a four letter state. That they live in.

Unfortunately, the cheerleaders (who we will assume are students- paid or not is another question), aren't as good at spelling. At least this error wasn't made on a national scale where everyone would see it. Wait a second...

A nice little throwback for you

Remember football in the 1980s?
Great stuff here:

Word Of The Day: schadenfreude

schadenfreude \SHOD-n-froy-duh\, noun:
A malicious satisfaction obtained from the misfortunes of others.

Sorry Brutus

Sorry you lost Brutus.
Actually, wait a second, no I'm not.

However, it really baffles me when Penn State fans root for Ohio State and Michigan?
Based on what?

I'm waiting for some genius to explain this one to me.

I think I saw these guys on TV tonight:

Broderick Green

According to the boys over at Laschout, Broderick Green wanted to try and transfer to PSU after an unsuccessful first season at USC. You'll never guess what position the staff took with respect to this request.

Aggies have an interesting choice of food

This guy is great.
Was the food not tasty at the Alamo Bowl?

This is how they do it, Aggie-Style:

The best league in the world?

Liverpool's Fernando Torres weighs in on the debate of best football league in the world. His views on the Premiership are very interesting.

"Technically the football is better in Spain, of a higher quality. But in England they play a more dynamic, quicker type of football with more shots at goal. The games are more open and for both player and spectator it's nicer football."

The quote above to me explains why the Premiership will always be the most watched and followed football league in the world.

Unfortunately, it also explains why England probably won't win a World Cup in my lifetime either.

Texas A&M Style...

Well apparently this is how they do it at Texas A&M. You'll need to watch this video. I can't believe how annoying this guy is.

Let's just say that now can add aTm to the list of teams that I hate.

Picture of the day...

Pens vs Flyers at the Beav?

According to this article, there have been some preliminary talks about the Flyers playing the Penguins outdoors at Beaver stadium.

Wonder what kind of attendance that they could get for that one?

Loose pucks: Get out your toques and mittens. The Flyers are looking into staging an outdoor game against the Pittsburgh Penguins next season at Penn State's Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley. Talks with the NHL are very preliminary, but team president Peter Luukko and general manager Paul Holmgren are pushing for league approval to play the first-ever outdoor game in the 107,282-seat stadium. . . .

Rich Rodriguez to Michigan

Well, Michigan coaching search is over, as they hire Rich Rodriguez away from West Virginia. While I'm not overly worried about this move (we lost to Michigan every year anyway, so it really doesn't matter who their coach is), there is one way that it does have a huge impact on PSU.

Tyrelle Pryor, the all-word QB, now has Michigan in his top 5.

Ouch.

Penn State to play in Cleveland Browns stadium?

According to this report, it could happen as soon as 2010.

More on the drug dealers next to Mum's office

So after I wrote the post earlier below about my Mum and all of the interesting things going on at her office, I got a bunch more emails about the whole story.

Rather than try and remember everything, and relay the story multiple times, I recorded it so you can listen for yourself:

Beavers Coming To Beaver Stadium

It's official!
The Oregon State Beavers will play at PSU next season. This is personally a huge relief for me, as we get that pesky Arkansas State squad off of the schedule.

Is Tim Curley actually doing his job?

WOW!

My Mum works next to drug dealers

Got a phone call from my mum yesterday, who bluntly informed me that she works next door to drug dealers.
Her office in LA has been awfully cold lately, and the new folks who moved in next door have an office that "smells like a skunk".

She just got back from England this past weekend, and the neighbors office now has bars on the window, and a security guard.

Well Ange went over, since she shares a thermostat with the neighbors. Apparently they've been running the AC, and keeping the temperature very cold.
After a second request to stop running the AC in December went unnoticed, my mum went over there to see what was going on .

Apparently the girl at the front desk handed her a bunch of pamphlets about medicinal marijuana, and said that they were providing this under California law. The pamphlets allegedly had some old geezers on the front.

My mum said that she found this ironic, because the average person going in there looks about half of Brandon's age.

I'm not quite sure what's going on in Inglewood (aka "Inglehood") but it sure smells sweet!
At least this year, as I told my mum, my christmas present will be easy for her to find!

HOLLA!

Apprently the Big Ten has approved games after Thansgiving

Apparently all of my bellyaching and blogging has worked:

The Big Ten has finally approved football games after Thanksgiving.

Should be interesting to see what happens with Penn State and Sparty.

Will The Idiots Who Run The Big Ten Let This Pass

If you've spoken to me recently on the phone during the past few weekends of the college football season, you know how absolutely infuriated I am with the fact that the Big Ten play NO games on both Thanksgiving weekend, and the first weekend in December (aka conference championship weekend).

Apparently the idiots who run the Big Ten have instituted a rule that no game can be played after Thanksgiving.

Well, once we moved to the 12 game schedule (another stupid rule), this meant NO BYE WEEK for Big Ten teams. Look at a conference like the Pac 10, who played this year on BOTH Thanksgiving weekend AND the first weekend in December. In essence, each Pac 10 team got 2 bye weeks.

How can the Big Ten be so stupid?
Easy.
The don't want any game to upstage their precious Ohio State vs. Michigan matchup. That's what this league is all about. Heaven forbid someone play AFTER that game.
It's a well known fact among big ten insiders that the league hasn't moved to a conference championship game because they consider Michigan vs. Ohio State as the conference championship game.

It's great to see guys like Barry Alvarez, Iowa, and the folks at Northwestern and Illinois stand up these arrogant pricks who run the Big Ten, and try and get this game moved.

Wonder how ending the season early worked out for Brutus last year in their bowl game (63 days off?) and Larry Johnson's Heisman campaign (Carson Palmer got an extra 2 weekends on TV).

The Big Ten just further proves their arrogance, and their willingness to sacrifice what is best for the league, the players, and the fans (who get no Big Ten football the last two weekends of the season) in order to placate the "tradition" of Ohio State vs. Michigan.

What a joke.

Ricky Hatton

Blue Moon!

Even though he is a Man City fan, he's still pals with Wayne Rooney. I must admit that I'm pretty much totally ignorant of the boxing scene right now, but my brother tells me that this is a hot ticket in Vegas this weekend. In fact, so hot, that "Mr. Vegas Hookup" himself, can't even find a ticket. Face value on the cheapest seats are $1500.

Anyway, check out what Fox Sports had to say about the British invasion this week in Vegas.

And for those of you who have been to Vegas with me before, you know that there's no better place than the Crown & Anchor to watch the footie. Check out what the LVRJ had to say about what's been going on this week at the Crown. Apparently Ricky is down for a few pints with the lads!

Here's some video footage from his last fight in Vegas in June. Apparently, it's MUCH busier this time:

Dan Connor Wins The Bednarik!

Congrats to Dan Connor, and keeping up the tradition of Linebacker U

Giving Him The Business

Salty Sparty

Haven't posted in a while, still a little bit bitter about the Brutus game, about which I have just one comment.

If you're going to punt on 4th and 2 from the opponents 38 yeard, with about a minute left before the half, down by 10, THEN YOU AT LEAST LET THE PLAY CLOCK RUN DOWN THE WHOLE WAY.

You don't snap the ball with 18 seconds left on the play clock.
How stupid is PSU?

Now, here's a great article about Sparty and Michigan's arrogance.

BTW, PSU's game vs Sparty, the season finale, is set for a 3:30pm EST kickoff on ABC. This weekend's game vs. Temple in on ESPNU.

It's Buckeye week

Brutus comes to Happy Valley to play in a nationally televised game on ABC at 8pm EDT.
Since joining the Big Ten, Brutus has only won twice in happy valley. In 1995, the came in with an offense led by Bobby Hoying, Eddie George, Rickey Dudley and Terry Glenn. A bogus "no fumble" call on Eddie George let OSU escape with a victory.

Their only other win at the Beav was in 2003. Penn State was in shambles that year, but played their hearts out against a superior Ohio State team that was coming off a National Championship season.

Penn State held a 20-14 lead late, and had knocked out Buckeye QB Craig Krenzel. Scott McMullen came off the bench to lead Ohio State on a final drive, which including the following clutch "catch" by Ohio State TE Ben Hartsock:



David Kimball missed a 59 yard FG as time expired.

But enough about 2003. Ohio State hasn't lost a conference game since a magical night in Happy Valley in October of 2005.

I can't wait to see which Penn State team shows up this year vs. Brutus. This season in college football has been the year of the upset. Can't wait to Brutus to get what's coming to him on Saturday night.

For the glory...

Brutus or Sparty

So our old friend Brutus is sitting pretty ranked #1, and everyone in the Nittany nation is already geeked up for next Saturday night. (Some are forgetting that we have a nooner, on the road, a recently very bad spot for PSU, but I digress).

Anyway, most fans are already "looking forward to knocking off the #1 team in the country". Does that mean that we've resigned our hopes of winning the Big Ten?

While I know it's a long shot, it IS possible for some type of crazy multiple teams tied at the top of the Big Ten standings at 6-2.

Which brings me to the question in the title. Who are you rooting for this weekend, Brutus, or Sparty.

Those rooting for Sparty (like myself) are:
1. Haters of Brutus
2. Still clinging to the hope that we could actually win the B10, or at least finished tied for it, and appear in a BCS bowl

Those rooting for Brutus are:
1. Brutus lovers
2. Packing in the fact that we aren't going to win the Big Ten.

Where do you lie? I would love for you to post a comment, and let me know, after PSU beasts Indiana, are you taking off your Dan Connor jersey and replacing it with a Joey Galloway throwback, or the Andre Rison?

Saturday Night Live takes a jab at the Irish

It's not the funniest thing I've ever seen, but it's great that SNL takes a shot at it's parent network, and the Irish.

Calling Tim Curley

Hey, I know you love Arkansas State and Coastal Carolina, but have you paid attention to whom WVU is scheduling OOC?

I know that you claim that you can't "make the dates work", but is WVU's AD really better with his calendar than you are?

Delusional Notre Dame fans

Boy those Irish fans sure are delusional. But finally, someone has taken the time to put it all into words (and music). I had actually had the audio sent to me before, but this is the first time I have ever seen the video:

The Gestapo have resurfaced...in State College, PA

A rather disturbing article about the antics of police trying to find underage drinkers in State College, PA.

While we all know that underage people (especially university students), enjoy drinking on the weekends, I'm not sure how effective this strategy is.

A clubbing from Philly now...

Well, you knew it was only a matter of time before a writer from Philly came out and pummeled the Lions. One this occasion, however, I really can't argue with what Dana Pennett O'Neil wrote.

Hockey is back!

Well, something to take the pain away from back to back Penn State losses is the fact that hockey is back. While I'm not going to predict a Stanley Cup in Vancouver, I am definitely excited about the upcoming season. I just hope that Nonis can pull a trade for a scoring winger sometime earlier in the season.

The Canucks currently have the best goalie, and the best depth on the blue line of any team in the NHL, IMHO.

On a related note, I just entered a salary cap style hockey pool. You got to spend up to $50.3M. Here is my squad, which I really like, and got off to a great start last night, incidentally:


Luongo Roberto Goal Vancouver Canucks $6,500,000.00
Fleury Marc-Andre Goal Pittsburgh Penguins $1,600,000.00

Whitney Ryan Defence Pittsburgh Penguins $2,500,000.00
Bieksa Kevin Defence Vancouver Canucks $550,000.00
Phaneuf Dion Defence Calgary Flames $942,400.00
Liles John-Michael Defence Colorado Avalanche $1,400,000.00
Visnovsky Lubomir Defence LA Kings $2,052,000.00
Boucher Philippe Defence Dallas Stars $2,500,000.00

Rolston Brian Right Wing Minnesota Wild $2,432,000.00
Zetterberg Henrik Left Wing Detroit Red Wings $2,700,000.00
Sedin Daniel Left Wing Vancouver Canucks $3,575,000.00
Sedin Henrik Centre Vancouver Canucks $3,575,000.00
Brunette Andrew Left Wing Colorado Avalanche $1,600,000.00
Heatley Dany Right Wing Ottawa Senators $5,500,000.00
Staal Jordan Centre Pittsburgh Penguins $850,000.00
Parise Zach Centre New Jersey Devils $2,000,000.00
Cheechoo Jonathan Right Wing San Jose Sharks $2,500,000.00
Thornton Joe Centre San Jose Sharks $6,670,000.00
Getzlaf Ryan Centre Anaheim Ducks $623,200.00

TOTAL $50,069,600.00

Illinois Post Game Thoughts

It was like 2003-2004 all over again, except this time the players didn't stink.

Missed opportunity after missed opportunity plagued the Nittany Lions in an ugly, horrific, frustrating, baffling loss.

5 second half possessions ALL beginning in Illini territory yielded THREE points. Absolutely pathetic.

After watching Penn State try and take a knee on their way to victory over Michigan, the offensive Gameplan this week actually called to throw the ball. And Morelli looked great in the first half, as the Lions moved the ball with ease.

However, once the 2nd half began, at times it would seem as though the Penn State coaches would freak out, and revert to the screen, and the draw, and other head scratchers. Poor throws by Morelli yielded another 2 interceptions, and after poor Anthony made a gutsy, diving run on 4th down, he dropped the ball and turned it back over to Illinois. (Note that on the 3rd down play before that Morelli completed a 1 yard pass to DWill in bounds...when the ball traveled 30 yards in the air, when time was at a premium)

Who knows where this PSU team will go from here. A BCS bowl is now out of the question, and it seems as though the Outback would be a best case scenario. The scary thing is that looking at the schedule, there might only be 2-3 more wins, which would make for a really ugly season.

Last week it was the coaches, but you can hang today's loss squarely on the players. Turnovers, dropped passes, bad throws, butterfingers (on O and D), wasting field position, it was all there.

Illinois tried on multiple occasions to hand the game to PSU. Great starting field position, combined with dumb Illinois penalties, but Penn State couldnt take advantage.

Hold onto your hats, because this ride for the rest of the season could get really ugly.

I've been saying this since 2004

Since 2004, Penn State has fielded a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP caliber defense. Only once, in 2005, did they even qualify for the BCS.
At least the national media is finally taking notice of the wasted effort Tom Bradley and company are putting forth.

Imagine a real offense paired with the Penn State defenses of 2004-2007?

How To Get A Man To Wash His Hands

It's tough for any player to win games when he's set up to fail.

Here's a cheap shot at JayPa written in SI. Call me the guy who perpetuates the cheap shots.

David Jones nails it again

Mr. Jones has now written two great columns in a row. I loved the first one, even though it never came to fruition. However this most recent column pretty much sums up the state of Penn State football.

Road Records vs. respectable teams since 2000

Michigan: 0-4
Ohio St.: 0-4
Notre Dame: 0-1
Boston College: 0-1
Nebraska: 0-1
Iowa: 0-2
Wisconsin: 1-2 (35-31 in 2002, the last "big" road win for PSU)
Minnesota: 1-2 ( a missed XP in OT after the D let's Minny drive down the field late in the game)
Purdue: 1-1 (A 12-0 game....hey, you can try and win that like! Worked out once in 18 road games!)

That's 3 for 18 if you're scoring at home.

Penn State Iowa game time announced

3:30pm EDT on ABC.
Maybe this will be anther 6-4 classic!

The Chef And The Roast Beef

Once upon a time, there was a Master Chef. He was a fantastic cook and had won many cooking competitions. He had cooked many meals, more than almost any other man alive. People loved his food, and came from all over to watch him cook, and eat his food.

But as the Chef continued to age, he became uncomfortable when people asked him to cook outside of his own kitchen. He became tentative and scared. He only used the most, plain and boring ingredients. While the chef would occasionally spice things up at home, when he had to cook in someone else's kitchen, he didn't want to risk a thing. He was so afraid to ruin a meal, that he made everything so bland and vanilla, that ultimately, it did ruin the meal.

Then, one day, the Chef forgot how to cook roast beef. He had cooked roast beef many times before, but all of a sudden he forgot how to cook roast beef. Sometimes it was too soft. Sometimes, it was too tough, but no matter what, the master chef just could not cook roast beef anymore. According to those that had watched him cook, and had eaten his meals, he hadn't cooked roast beef properly since 1996.

However 2007 was going to be a return to glory for this chef, and most of all, his ability to cook roast beef. In fact, two other chefs had recently cooked roast beef to perfection. One was a chef from North Carolina, and the other was from Oregon. They both cooked their roast beef to perfection.

The master Chef even had their recipes: both the chefs from Oregon and North Carolina provided a video to the master chef on how to PERFECTLY cook roast beef. They showed him how to carve it beautifully, and serve it up so that everyone could enjoy it.

So what did our master chef do? Rather than follow the recipes, he reverted to old ways, and kept using the same recipe since 1997. Why did the master Chef do this? Unfortunately, we'll never know. However, we do know that using the same old bland boring recipes, and not following wining recipes from other chefs, will eventually lead people to forget about the chefs great meals of the past, and merely ask: "How many more years until roast beef rotates off of the dinner menu?"

Michigan Post Game Thoughts

That was it?
That was what was supposed to be the best chance to end the streak versus Michigan?

Oh wait, we actually had better chances in 1999, 2002 and 2005, didn't we? Maybe not. But if ever there was a chance to end the streak, this was it. Staring Penn State in the face, at 3:29pm EDT this past Saturday was a Michigan team that had been absolutely shredded by both Oregon and Appy State.

As I had told anyone who would listen to me, that Appy State and Oregon had provided the blueprint on how to beat Michigan: spread them out, and go bombs away.

Now I know that a lot of people kept making the point that ASU and Oregon had mobile QBs, unlike Mr. Morelli, and that made a difference. A to a certain degree, I agree with that point. However, more importantly, look at what Oregon did: THEY THREW THE BALL DOWN THE FIELD:



I knew Penn State was in trouble when they came out and went run up the middle, FB dive, penalty, and then took a sack on 3rd and long. It showed absolutely NO imagination, or desire to learn from what others had shown them.

For too long now Penn State fans have been subjected to watching Penn State try to "not lose" a game on the road. When was the last time that Penn State actually won a big game on the road? It was in 2002 versus Wisconsin. Since then, not one single impressive road victory. What I wouldn't give just to have seen Penn State air it out this past Saturday. Everyone keeps going on about how good the PSU wide receivers are. Really? Then why don't they get a chance to show it?

Why do we continue to run 3 yard outs on 3rd and 5?
Why is our senior QB not allowed to audible?
Why do we try and win every game that we play on the road 13-10?
Why do we take a National Championship caliber defense and subject them to the pathetic offensive showing and force them to pitch a shutout to win?
Why does our offensive staff take successful game plan tape from other schools versus the same opposition and learn NOTHING from it?
Why do our defensive backs insist on on playing 10-12 yard off the line of scrimmage on 3rd and 5?
Why does our 5th year senior RB have 4 fumbles lost in 57 carries this season?
Why on 3rd and goal does our senior QB one hop a ball in the the dirt at the 5 yard line?
Why is that we threw into the END ZONE only once, all game, and it resulted in a PI penalty, and then NEVER try it again.

There is something fundamentally wrong with the way that Penn State plays football on the road on this decade. While I understand that coaches coach, and players make the plays, is it not the responsibility of the coaches to put the players in a position to win the game?

More often than not, it seems as though the coaches put the players in position to FAIL.
That is what happens when you don't try throw the ball down field against a woeful pass defense.
That is what happens when you don't allow your senior QB to audible out of a bad play.
That is what happens when you don't even try to throw into the endzone.
That is what happens when you have your WRs running out patterns 5 yards short of the first down marker on 3rd down.

There are some bright spots however:

The defense, as usual, is sound. The new punter is outstanding. The special teams aren't the disaster that they usually are. Kevin Kelly didn't miss a kick.

The only other bright spot is that I knew Penn State would lose this game. I have no reason to believe that they will ever beat Michigan until I see it with my own eyes. I predicted a 10-2 season, and I'll stand by that prediction. The Lions will break our hearts one more time this season, but that's it.

Michigan Play Calling: A Breakdown

Thanks to our friends at Running Up The Score, who provided a great breakdown of EVERY single offensive play in the Penn State Michigan game.

This will take you a few minutes to read, but is worth it if you really want to see how frustrating and predictable the play calling has become.

In Case You Missed It Last Night

Here is Lou Holtz's weekly feature, his "pep talk". This week was for Penn State, who have lost to Michigan 8 straight times.
Let me also preface this saying that I'm putting this on here for those who might have missed it, not because I endorse Lou "suffering succotash" Holtz in anyway:

The Best Thing I've Ever Seen To Come Out Of Yankee Stadium

Was this prank:

David Jones Hits The Nail On The Head

Wow...I couldn't have said it better myself than David Jones, the guy who loves to trash anything Penn State football.

Great article, which sums up my entire belief about this weekends game in Ann Arbor.

On a very interesting note, I had NO IDEA that through 45 minutes of the 2005 game, Penn State scored exactly 3 points????

This Is Why Penn State Has No Names On Their Jerseys

We all know that JoePa hates names on the back of the jerseys. I wonder if situations like this are the reason why:

Was I rude to Brutus?

I was in Seattle this past weekend hanging out. The Dutchman made the long flight out from Columbus to watch Brutus, so it was a chance to go down and hang out him along with Doug, Ash, and Sweeney and see everyone. Dreama and I found this trip the perfect opportunity to take Stella on her first international venture across the border.

My hotel did NOT have the BTN so I went down to Sport, the local (Puget Sound) PSU alumni association viewing location on Saturday morning to watch the Lions.

I arrived about 8:50am, just in time for kickoff. I opted to sit at a table and wait for Ash to show up (he wasn't arriving until halftime).

About midway through the first quarter, a Buckeye fan and his wife showed up. They were minding their own business, and then a couple of their friends showed up.

At some point later in the morning, maybe around the 3rd quarter of our game, he struck up a conversation with me. I asked him if he was going to the game, he told me he was, he was a local now in Seattle. I told him that although PSU was about to go 3-0, I was deathly scared of Michigan next weekend.

He let me know that "Buckeye Nation" was going to be pulling for PSU.

Anyway, he got up to leave about 20-30 minutes later, and seemed like a nice enough guy. When getting up to leave, he said something like "We're off to the game now".

I smiled and nodded. He then looked at me and said "Hey you at least gotta wish us luck today, we're representing the Big Ten". While inside I wanted to say "Go F yourself Brutus", I just smiled and said something like "You guys have beaten us plenty yourselves, you don't need our luck"

I got the feeling he was sort of miffed that I didn't wish him good luck. Was I rude in not doing so?

After he left, I realized that I should have said something like "Here's to an injury free game".

So, was I in the wrong? I didn't say anything rude, and was perfectly cordial during our conversations. I just didn't feel the need (nor the obligation) to wish him luck. I am giving Penn Staters out there a bad name?

Hope You Have The Big Ten Network

If you want to watch Penn State vs. Illinois, you're going to need the Big Ten Network. Apparently that game has been selected, according to Penn State's SID Jeff Nelson.

If we dig a little bit deeper, we find out that this has been confirmed on the Big Ten's official website. It's also slated for a 12pm EDT/9am PDT kickoff.

Here's to some freshly squeezed "Juice Williams" on the west coast, for breakfast.

Michigan Week

Well, it's here: Michigan week.
Also known (lately) as "Will We Ever F'in Beat Those Guys" week.

I saw that Penn State opened as a 4 point favorite. This is shocking to me. Then again, joe public probably doesn't know that Penn State hasn't beaten Michigan since 1996 (8 losses in a row and counting).

I'll have my prediction later in the week, but let's just say that I'm not the slightest bit confident. This game scares me. It will be really interesting to see what Penn State does on offense this game. We all know that the defense will be sound, especially if they're going up against a freshman QB in Mallett.

But what about the offense? Will they open it up, and air it out (ala Appy State and Oregon), or will they pull a classic "play not to lose" and try and pull out a 17-16 victory. By playing conservatively on offense, that plays right into Michigan' defensive "strength" (see Michigan-Notre Dame 38-0).

However, air it out, and go on the attack with a great WRs and Quarless back at TE, and we could make it a long day for the Wolverines (see: Michigan-Appy State or Michigan Oregon)

Can't wait to see what the coaching staff does.

Picture Of The Notre Dame WhiteOut From Sports Illustrated

Impressive:

Who Has The Loudest Stadium In The Nation?

Apparently Brutus is being warned to watch out for Husky Stadium this weekend, and how "loud" it is. According to the video below, however, Brutus is far from scared.

Ironically enough, the loudest stadium I've ever been to is the horseshoe for the 2002 Ohio State-Penn State game. Granted, I'm sure that it had something to do with being in the closed end of the stadium and sitting about 6 rows off of the field.

Actually, that just made me think. Should they still call it a "Horseshoe" even if they closed in the other end zone? That's a Buckeye for you....

Get The Led Our For A Reunion Concert

I had heard about a rumored Led Zeppelin reunion tour, but it now seems as though the reality is a single concert, rather than a tour. The concert will be in London some time in November.

Jason Bonham will be on drums in place of his father, John.

I wonder how much tickets for the show will go for? My guess is that if you can't get one directly, and have to go through a scalper, tickets would easily fetch up to 1,0000 pounds (approx $2,000).

If you have a prediction on price, post it in the comments section. Oh yeah, and if you have a connection for a ticket, send me an email.

It only took two weeks to change their minds

Both Ivan Maisel and Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com are now predicting Penn State to play in the Fiesta in their latest bowl projections.

Unfortunately, I can't pull up the old version of the projections, but I do know that NONE of ESPN's 8 writers who did preseason bowl predictions had the Lions in anything better than the Cap One Bowl.

Seeing as they have Wisconsin playing in the Rose Bowl, one must assume that Ivan and Mark have us finishing second in the Big Ten. Should be really interesting in the Big Ten once conference play kicks off.

"I Want To Go To Oregon"

In an earlier post, I had wrote about how I didn't get it when Penn State "fans" were cheering for Michigan because "we play them" and they wanted to "improve our Strength of Schedule".

Well, I take joy in seeing places like Michigan and Ohio State lose on the football field. Especially when it's out of conference. I submit to you more evidence, that clearly shows how Michigan losing, hurts their recruiting, and can therefore help Penn State: Enjoy the article.

Great Video from the White Out vs. Notre Dame

Thanks to CSTV for this great video from this past Saturday's game vs. Notre Dame.
One thing I found particularly impressive, and interesting, was that the students now actually SING the correct words to the Alma Mater:

I took this video down, since it was annoying loading every time the blog loaded. However, you can still see the video by going here:

A real source confirms Michigan Kick Off Time

National TV on ABC....unless you live in Ohio, then you'll have to watch on ESPN.

Click here for more infomation.

Michigan Kickoff Time announced

If you trust the enemy, they are reporting 3:30pm on ABC at the top of the page.

Fantastic picture Beaver Stadium from the Notre Dame "WHITE OUT"

Notre Dame Game Postgame Thoughts

I for one was very happy with the result of the Penn State-Notre Dame game. Although the offense looked sloppy at times, overall it was a great win, especially when you consider that ND's points came from a FG after a long punt return, and then an 85 yard pick six.

Speaking of that pick six, I was utterly amazed, as I watched on TV, that there was NO camera angle of the DB running down the sidelines. It seemed as though it was certainly possible that he stepped out of bounds. No replay, no video of a reverse angle, so we'll never know. But from my angle, it sure looked close.

As for the game itself and the atmosphere, it looked absolutely fantastic on TV. Memo to the AD and the Big Ten: can we please get more 6pm kickoffs? Much better than the 8pm IMHO, and gives way more time to tailgate and have fun than the 3:30pm games.

The white out looked fantastic, and it was the type of game that justifies the purchase of an HDTV. The sun setting, the stadium, the whiteout, all in glorious HD looked absolutely fantastic. Kudos to the fans and the students who did a great job.

The game was off to a horrible start until DWill did what we've all been waiting for him to do since his freshman year (the TD run vs OSU): make a big play in a big game.



One absolutely maddening part of the game was the bush league stunt pulled by ND's #26. How he didn't get ejected, I'll have no idea. Is that really how ND plays nowadays? This was a joke:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5sxFegnxMk

The Big Ten, after watching football on Saturday, is wide open and there for the taking. Wisconsin escaped against UNLV. Ohio State was uninspired against the zips, and then there is the train wreck known as the 2007 Michigan Wolverines.

I believe that the book has been written on how to beat UM this year: spread out wide, and air it out. It's what about Appalachian State and Oregon did, with WRs wide open, streaking down the field.
If Galen Hall and JayPa have any brains, we'll spread out 4 wide, with Norwood, Bell, DWill and Butler and have at 'em.
My concern is that Joe will go conservative, and try and win this one 13-10 in the Big House. The sad part is that Penn State has the horses to administer a 45-10 thrashing on a weak, wounded UM defense. The question remains, however, is will Joe turn the offense loose (ala Ohio State 1994 63-14) or will he pull back the reigns and try and win an ugly defensive battle (ala Ohio State 2005 17-10).

As I wrote, Oregon and ASU have given Penn State the game plan on a silver platter. Will they take it and execute it? Or play not to lose?
I know what I'm hoping for, but sadly, I also know what I expect to see. Michigan is a wounded animal, and this game is there for the taking. Let's just hope our coaches put our players in the best position to win.

Getting Pumped Up For Notre Dame

Found this great site.
You'll want to bookmark it.

http://fightmusic.com/big10.html

Scroll down to Penn State.

Idiot Notre Dame Fan #124,345

WOW...in case you ever needed any other reason to hate Notre Dame, check out this dope from NE PA.

Penn State fans are bandwagon? I don't recall a third of the stadium wearing red when we played Nebraska in 2002.

Here's a little illustration for our guy on the You Tube video below. Let's pound the Irish this weekend.

Memo to all of the Penn State "Fans" who are upset about UM and ND losing

In the past few days, I've read a lot of message board chatter and newspaper articles, such as this one by David Jones of Harrisburg Patriot-News, suggesting that the losses by Michigan and Notre Dame this past weekend are bad for Penn State.

I've even heard such suggestions that Penn State fans who were rooting for Appalachian State and Georgia Tech "just don't get it"?

Really?

Let me explain it to you Penn State "fans".

Here is a simple rooting guide for you to follow:

1. Cheer for Penn State to win every game.
2. Cheer for the teams that you hate (insert Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Florida State, etc) to lose EVERY game.
3. Cheer against any school ranked higher than Penn State to also lose, so that Penn State can climb up in the BCS rankings and the polls.

It's really that simple.
When I hear crap about "it hurts our strength of schedule" or "don't you understand how the BCS works", I want to scream. Here are some counterpoints for you:

1. As far as strength of schedule goes, let's worry about that in November, not Labor Day weekend. Penn State started out ranked so low, that their preseason ranking, and NOT their strength of schedule, would be their undoing when it comes to POTENTIALLY running the table and playing for the National Championship.
2. Worrying about strength of schedule implies extreme confidence in Penn State running the table. A bit ridiculous considering they haven't done so since 1994. I'll take the losses by the scum of the earth (Michigan, Notre Dame) and put those in the bank. Thanks ASU and GT.
3. Even if Michigan and Notre Dame have great seasons, and PSU ran the table, would they jump a perfect USC or SEC champ? I don't think so.
4. What about the impact of recruiting? Do you think that it hurts, or helps Penn State, when they are going head to head with Michigan and Notre Dame for players, and they can drop the "we don't lose to 1AA programs at home" mantra....EXACTLY.

Back in the 1990s, when I was in school, and when a Penn State season was considered "over" the day after the first loss of they year, I fully subscribed to the "root for your opponents" mantra. You wanted to play the highest ranked team possible. But then a funny thing happened.

We joined the Big Ten, and the disasterous seasons of '00, '01, '03 and '04 left me a bitter, jaded man. I want to see the enemy lose, and lose badly. I'll just worry about us running the table, and then let the chips fall where they may.

You Penn State "fans", who tell me that I "just don't get it", do me a favor. Get out your Tony Rice throwback, or your Marcus Ray throwback, and put it on this weekend. Go and cheer for Penn State opponents, because it's going to "help" them in the BCS. I'll enjoying rooting for Penn State, with my 2nd, 3rd and 4th favorite teams being whoever is playing Michigan, Ohio State, and Notre Dame on any given weekend.

Notre Dame is so pathetic.....gameday has cancelled on Penn State

ESPN's wildly popular College Gameday, featuring Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler and Lee Corso had announced over the summer that they would be in State College, PA on September 8th for the Penn State vs. Notre Dame game.

Since Gameday was in Blacksburg, VA for the Virginia Tech opener, they had announced that they would be in State College for week 2.

One assumed that although the #9 Hokies play #2 LSU, that Gameday didn't want to feature the Hokies two weeks in a row.

Well after Notre Dame's pathetic showing in their opener, a 33-3 beatdown at the hands of the Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech, I see that Gameday no longer deems coming to State College worthy. I don't know what more Penn State could have done: a 59-0 dismantling of Florida International.

Notre Dame, however, obviously aren't recovering from a massive exodus of senior starters, as Georgia Tech made their offense seem as deadly as a popgun.

According to this report from a Virginia Tech website, Gameday will pass on Penn State, and the pathetic Irish, to showcase a top 10 matchup between LSU and Virginia Tech.

Thanks Notre Dame. I'm sure that this, along with memory of that ridiculously unnecessary fake punt you ran in last year's game, will offer plenty of opportunities for PSU to take out its frustrations on you this Saturday.

Appalachian State? Are you kidding me.....

I was away in Whistler, BC for the weekend, doing some R&R, and had no access to college football save for whatever games were on ABC and NBC. I had decided to TIVO the Penn State game, since I wasn't really worried about the game being ruined by someone telling me the score.

I had received a few texts and updates about the PSU game, when my good friend Mike Lagg sent me a text saying that Michigan was losing 28-14 to Apppalachian State!

This was actually better news than Penn State being up big at the half. A while later, I was on the phone with another good friend, Seth Holst, who as we were chatting informed me that Mike Hart just ripped off a 53 yard TD run to put the Wolverines up 32-31 with about 5 minutes left. As we chatted, he further informed me that the ASU QB had just thrown a pick. I figured that with the ball deep in ASU (that's Appalachian State, NOT Arizona State for you skim readers), it was game over.

A little while later, my phone rings again, with my friend Mike Lagg back on the phone. He informed me that ASU had just kicked a FG on 1st down (why did they do that instead of running the clock down.but I digress) to go up 34-32.

He was kind enough to stay on the phone with me, giving me the play by play as Mario Manningham hauled in a long bomb (how the hell did he get into single coverage?) with 6 seconds left. Looks like Michigan was going to pull out a BS victory.

But the cries of "BLOCKED, BLOCKED" came screaming through my phone, as on the other in, in disbelief, I found out that Michigan had choked and lost.

While the call that I heard on the phone was great, none was better than this young ASU fan's sheer joy from right in the big house:



In terms of sporting upsets, this surely must top the charts. I mean no professional sporting upset can compare to a 1AA team beating the #5 team in the polls. So what other giant killer games are out there? Feel free to leave a comment.

Penn State Football Season Is Finally Here!

Less than 24 hours away from kickoff, PSU launches their season tomorrow.
If you're a Penn Stater, this is guaranteed to give you goose bumps....

My Penn State Football Preseason Prediction

Let me first go on record as saying that this will be the first time in at least 3, and maybe 4 seasons that I haven't had my brother put a wager on Penn State to win the National Championship in Las Vegas for me.

Maybe that bodes well for the Nittany Lions to win it all, however, I'm not making that prediction. I do believe that with the right breaks, bounces and no injuries, PSU win the national championship this season....but then again, there's about 20 other schools who could say the exact same thing.

While the talent is certainly there, there is one huge hurdle: Michigan. PSU has to go into Ann Arbor (that whore) on Sept 22nd (kickoff time and TV coverage TBA). They haven't won there since 1996. They haven't beaten Michigan since 1996 (note the Lions did take 3 straight from the Wolverines from 1994-1996, including the infamous 1995 "snow bowl"). When it comes to Michigan, in terms of Penn State football, consider me from Missouri: "show me".

I won't, and I can't, predict a Penn State victory over Michigan until I witness it with my own eyes. Much like many of my gambling philosophies, one should ride a wave until it crests. Therefore, until I see this Michigan wave crest, I am predicting a Michigan victory on Sept 22nd. In 2002 and 2005 Penn State took better teams in Ann Arbor, only to get whored by the officials and Tony Johnson's TWO feet inbounds catch (deemed OOB by an official with a clear as day view) and the 2005 heartbreaker where our special teams coach (aka "Mr. Invisible", because we don't have one) decidely to strategically kickoff to Steve Breaston.

Unfortunately, I see another loss for the Lions somewhere in the season. They'll lose another game on the schedule, maybe Wisky, Ohio State, or god forbid either Purdue or Iowa.

Put me for a 10-2 regular season, which will be good enough for 2nd place in the Big Ten, and a nice BCS bowl, maybe in Arizona.

I'll see you all in Tempe in January.

For the glory.....

My College Football Pool

I was invited to join a pool where you pick college football teams.
We had 8 participants, snake draft style.

I was "stuck" with the #1 pick. I wasn't really interested in it, and tried to trade out of it, but there were no takers.

Here is the point structure:

-1 point for every game your team wins
-2 points for every game your team beats a ranked opponent
-3 points for every game your team (UNRANKED) beats a ranked opponent.

That being said, with the #1 pick, I was thinking either USC or LSU. I ended up taking LSU for two reasons:
1. They play 4 teams ranked in the preseason top 25, opposed to USC, who only plays 3.
2. One of those teams that USC plays, Nebraska, is ranked #20, and that game is in week 2. Who does Nebraska play in week 1? None other than sneaky old Wake Forest, who could easily pull the upset, knocking the cornholes out of the top 25, and easily taking away a 2 point game from USC.
3. LSU get to the SEC conference championship game, which gives them a chance at another game to beat a ranked opponent, which could be an extra 2 points that USC won't even have a chance for.

As for my 2nd round pick, it was Auburn (play 5 ranked teams). I also got Hawaii (should be 11 points at worst). I love the fact that I got Alabama (playing SIX ranked teams and they are currently unranked) despite the fact that Saban is a douchebag.

Feel free to post a comment as to whom you think will win this thing. I, of course, love my team.
BTW, interesting note on the B10 teams. They were drafted, in order:

Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin. That's the exact reverse order I would have selected them.

Here are everyone's picks in order of round they selected them. (Alma mater in parentheses to indicate any potential bias. Speaking of bias, the Gator guy Rob thinks of the SEC as compared to the rest of the conference the same way that Hitler thought of the Aryan race compared to other races).

Tom (East Stroudsburg)

USC

Boise St

Georgia

South Carolina

Notre Dame

Texas Tech

Nevada

Minnesota

Tulane

NC State

ROB (Florida)

VA Tech

Michigan

Nebraska

BYU

Miami, FL

Utah

Tulsa

Pitt

Washington St.

Cincinatti

Neel (Delaware)

WVU

Oklahoma

Rutgers

TCU

South Florida

Clemson

Memphis

Arizona

East Carolina

Middle Tenn St

Lagg (PSU)

Florida

Cal

Florida State

Kentucky

Oregon

Missouri

Fresno St.

Michigan State

UTEP

UNLV

Starner (PSU)

Ohio State

Penn St

Wake Forest

Tennessee

Houston

S. Mississippi

Akron

W. Michigan

Kansas St.

Colorado St.

Ken(???)

Louisville

Wisconsin

BC

Navy

Maryland

Oklahoma State

N. Illinois

Vanderbilt

New Mexico

Arizona St

JUSTIN (PSU)

LSU

Auburn

Hawaii

Alabama

UCLA

Purdue

UVA

Central Michigan

Troy

Kansas

Fro (Tennessee)

Texas

Texas A&M

Arkansas

Ga. Tech

Oregon State

Iowa

Ball St.

Kent St.

Florida Atlantic

La Lafayette

For the record, my SEO guru for my business, Chuck (Auburn guy) after viewing the selections, made his preseason prediction:

#1 – Tom
#2 – Justin
#3 – Fro
#4 – Kevin
#5 – Rob
#6 – Ken
#7 – Neel
# 8 - Lagg

Feel free to leave a comment as to whom you think will win, about the draft, the scoring system, conference supremacy, or anything else...